Mmmmm….Beeeeer

Perhaps with walking to the beer festival? It took us 2.5 miles and about 45 minutes, but it was worth it. It was a lovely walk!

Do not underestimate fall!

VIDEOS

We stumbled upon some kind of festival on our way to the …festival.

And then we were downtown

With a long line till the festival opened!

I smuggled in a coconut water but I didn’t end up needing it. I was thinking worst case scenario!

Once we were in, first thing’s first!!

After a quick Punkin taste, I got to work on my game plan: NERD ALERT! I highlighted the beers I wanted to try so I could stay on track. I pretty much did stay on track for most of the festival. Things got a little fuzzy for a while, but it could have been a lot worse!

And then here’s a good visual of what I tried in my tiny mug:

Best Of Show

Avery Ellie’s Brown Ale (8/10)

Dogfish Punkin (9/10)

Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout (9/10)

–> Hoppin’ Frog BORIS The Crusher Imperial Stout (10/10!)

Legend Oktoberfest Amber (9/10)

Brooklyn Brewery Oktoberfest (9/10)

–> North Coast Brother Thelonious (10/10!)

–> Old Dominion Millennium Barleywine (10/10!)

Yards Brawler Ale (9/10)

After all that, we STILL had tickets left to taste! Ended up throwing them up the air!

Matt + Andrew got celebrity sighted! This blog reader friend recognized them but couldn’t place where. Then she spotted me and put 2 and 2 together. She thought they were band members at first! The KERF Band 😉

The munchies hit around 6PM and we got some pizza from Mellow Mushroom

Some of the best pizza ever!! [Clearly in the moment 🙂 ]

Around 6:30 we decided we’d had enough beer (gasp!) and headed back on foot to The Corner. Sadly it started raining on us and we had to call Karen to pick us up. Thanks for the ride Karen!

We had planned a burger dinner at the Cville-famous Boylan Heights burger joint. MILLIONS of bloggers have recommended this place to me as “the best burgers (and veggie burgers) and sweet potato fries in town.”

Sadly, we were not impressed. Very slow service. Pretty wimpy salad bowls 🙁

Karen, Matt and Andrew got versions of burgers – bison, beef, etc. on various buns with various sides. They were all just OK. I got a burger in a bowl that was literally a burger in a bowl. Not much salad at all! The bleu cheese was quite good but the veggie burger, which everyone has raved about, seemed to be a big blob of quinoa. I was quite sad 🙁

I had sweet potato fries on the side – which are supposed to be world famous – but I didn’t think they were any better than Big Daddy’s in Charlotte (which has the best black bean burger and SP fries in the world)

Dare I say this was the first Cville restaurant experience we were disappointed in?! I had extremely high expectations that were not quite met…

I was dying for a bit of gooey brownie upon leaving, but our group seemed to walk past without acknowledging my request. Guess that’s a good thing!

Instead, I had a big bowl of granola with milk when I got home. The carbs were calling.

‘Twas a super fun day, and I THINK I may have escaped without a hangover!

Great American Beer Fest (the biggest beer fest in the nation) is next weekend. I’ve attended the past two years, but I’m taking a break this year. Unlimited tastings. Craziness, and such a blast. I highly recommend attending (I’m sure Matt knows about this festival, since he is so into beer)!

I always *love* imperial stouts and barleywine. I had a great barleywine last night, Flyer’s Cab Ride, really delicious. Had my very first pumpkin beer too, not a fan. But maybe it was just the brewery?

Since you brought up coconut water, it reminded me of a conversation my hubby and I were having the other day. We were just curious if there was anything “special” in terms of nutrition about coconut water, or if it’s more just a taste thing?

Love Top of the Hops! Must be a national tour type thing because we had Top of the Hops a couple of weeks ago here (the logos and everything are the same but they must feature regional brews) and it was awesome!

That looks like such a fun day. Our town had its brew fest last weekend, and I definitely was nowhere near as organized as you. I’ve spent some time in NC and absolutely think that Mellow Mushroom pizza is pretty amazing- even when you’re sober.

Maybe the restaurant was a disappoint cause you had such high expectations going in?
I know that happens to me when people sometimes recommend a movie to me…they say it’s brilliant and I end up completely disappointed at the recommendation and feel it’s a waste of time/money.

That looks like a great time! Love the nerd part with the list to try. I think my husband would have gone crazy and just tried it all! I hate that your dinner experience was bad. That stinks at the end of all that goodness! There is really nothing worse than a wimpy veggie burger on a wimpy salad that probably cost you more than a regular burger. That always irritates me.

I’m surprised people raved to you so much about Boylan- that restaurant was five minutes walk from my apartment and I only ate there twice. I will say the first time I went I really liked the veggie burger, then the second time it was awful and I never went back. Plus, once we waited over an hour and a half for food! So many better dining options in Cville. If you’re going to the corner, try Basil, Rev Soup, The Backyard (I used to work here!) or Michael’s Bistro- great beer selection here too!

GREAT POST!! Ironically, my hubby & I bought the dogfish punkin Ale yesterday after receiving pumpkin in our CSA share.. .. it just felt right. OMG.. we Loved it!! It’s nice to see the you rated it so highly as well.. .great minds 😉

I love that you guys are able to walk/bike so many places! I live in the suburbs of Des Moines and have to drive 4 miles to get “into town” and then everything is so spread out, it’s hardly logical to go on foot. I used to live downtown and could walk EVERYWHERE! Just wanted to say good for you guys for saving energy when you can 🙂

i am so jealous of your beer tasting!!! i’ve tried the hoppin’ frog stout once before and it.was.awesome. definitely deserving of its high score. i can’t wait to dive into fall pumpkin ales in the next coming months!

Hear, hear! Beer is delicious! I nearly forgot that while living out of the country for a year and a half, in Asia and South America beer all tastes the same and is a bit boring to me (I luv the hops). But I was quickly reminded upon returning to the great States and sipping on my first draft in to long. DELICIOUS!
Where is the best selection of beers on tap in C’ville? Beer Run?

Matt’s brother is super totally hot : )~ I’m moving to New Orleans soon and I’m gonna track him down like a cougar! Do you know where he lives??!! I’m gonna get me some of that. Ohhhhh mamacita. Puuurrrrr (gasp!)…… WHOA!!!!! 8 )~~~~~~

My favorite veggie burger of charlottesville is at Trinity on the corner. It has very interesting flavor – squash, hazelnut, and quinoa. I’ve never had anything quite like it – I Definitely recommend. The one at Boylan is very messy and has a bit too much going on.

Hi Kath,
I’ve been reading your blog for a few months and love it! It just occurred to me tonight to search the kerf archives and see if you’ve eaten at our restaurant, Boylan Heights. I am so sorry that you had such a bad experience. I am going to send you a gift certificate tomorrow, as I would do with any dissatisfied customer, in hopes that we can exceed your expectations next time. My husband and I have been following your progress and are excited to try your restaurant when it opens. We love to support other locally owned businesses. Please give us another try!
Sincerely your neighbors,
Kara and Andrew Watson